Samson’s unbeaten 97 sends India into semis (photos)
India will take on England in the second semi-finals on Thursday.
KATHMANDU: Sanju Samson powered India national cricket team into the semi-finals of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup with an unbeaten 97 in a five-wicket victory over the West Indies national cricket team on Sunday.
India will face England national cricket team in the second semi-final on Thursday.
Chasing 196, India were under early pressure before Samson produced a composed yet aggressive innings to anchor the run chase.
The right-hander fell just three runs short of a century but guided his side home with four balls remaining.
His innings included 12 fours and four sixes.
Tilak Varma provided valuable support with a rapid 27 from 15 deliveries.
West Indies post 195-4 after late surge
Earlier, the West Indies set a challenging target of 196 after reaching 195 for four.
A late onslaught from Jason Holder and Rovman Powell saw 70 runs added in the final five overs, putting pressure on the defending champions.
The West Indies made a tactical change at the top of the order, promoting Test captain Roston Chase to open alongside T20 captain Shai Hope.
The reshuffle allowed the inclusion of spinner Akeal Hosein, while regular opener Brandon King was left out of the XI.
The opening partnership provided early stability following West Indies’ collapse to 83 for seven in their previous defeat to South Africa.
The breakthrough came when Varun Chakravarthy dismissed Hope for 32, ending a stand of 68 in front of a crowd of 67,000 at Eden Gardens.
Shimron Hetmyer struck 27 off 12 balls before edging Jasprit Bumrah.
Two balls later, Bumrah removed Chase for 40, as the batter chipped a slower delivery to India captain Suryakumar Yadav, reducing West Indies to 103 for three.
After Sherfane Rutherford was dismissed cheaply, Powell and Holder combined for an unbroken stand of 76 for the fifth wicket.
Powell finished unbeaten on 34 from 19 balls, while Holder ended on 37 not out from 22 deliveries, including multiple boundaries.
India’s bowlers were helped by periods of pressure but were let down by the fielding unit, which dropped three regulation catches — including a chance off Chase when he was on 15 — allowing West Indies to push their total closer to 200.
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